Letters

Tesco: every little helps Bangladesh develop

I am pleased that War on Want's company secretary, Ben Birnberg, is seeking to engage with us on the issue of trade with Bangladesh (Letters, April 26). He raises important issues. War on Want has committed significant resources to telling us all that conditions in Bangladesh are hard and that standards differ from those in the UK. I can assure Ben that we know this, although we do not accept War on Want's specific allegations about Tesco's practices. We believe that, in the face of these challenges, the right response is to trade with developing countries. This is the way to grow local economies and lift people out of poverty. So we have stuck by Bangladesh, continued to invest in modern factories with high standards and good conditions and done all we can to ensure that those are maintained by the most thorough third-party audits.

The alternative - and believe me, it would be easier - would be for us to stop sourcing in countries that have economic and social problems which are beyond the capabilities of any organisation alone to fix. But I don't think that is right for the people of Bangladesh or is what our customers would expect us to do. So I would say to Ben Birnberg and War on Want: decide whether you agree with us on the principle of trading with countries like Bangladesh. If you do, we would be delighted to work with you on the hard task of raising economic and social standards there and elsewhere. Lucy Neville-RolfeExecutive director, corporate and legal affairs, Tesco

Ben Birnberg doesn't go far enough. We need a corporate governance bill which forces all major retailers to take full responsibility for their supply chain, to ensure proper working conditions and a living wage. Tesco et al are not making billions purely because they sell more; they are making money on the loss-making deals imposed on their suppliers.Alan Gent Cheadle, Cheshire

Sign up for the Guardian Today

Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.